Four Key Elements of Real-Time DDoS Defense

Recent technology developments have made it possible to see and stop distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks when they attempt to enter your network, before they can do any damage. With this in mind, we have compiled a list of four elements of a DDoS defense system that will enable your business withstand a DDoS attack, in real-time.

1. Detection

Detection is the first step in DDoS mitigation. Attacks that usually would go unnoticed—specifically small-scale, sub-saturating attacks— leave the door open for hackers to conduct security breaches. Therefore it is critical to implement a system that monitors network traffic for both small-scale and volumetric attacks. As packets attempt to enter the network, it is important to automatically classify the data; to decide whether it is “good” or “bad” traffic. This granular level of analysis is essential so that the system can inspect all traffic and allow good traffic to flow un-interrupted.

2. Mitigation

Recent technology developments have made it possible to reduce the time to mitigation from minutes to seconds. That’s important, because hackers need only a few seconds to penetrate your network to do more damage via data theft, malware or ransomware.

3. Analysis

There are many types of DDoS attacks, and each type has a different profile. Was the attack volumetric or sub-saturating? Was it a Smurf Attack or a DNS Flood, or some combination? It is critical to have a DDoS protection solution that not only blocks all types of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, but also identifies the type of attack vectors, analyzes the digital fingerprint, and gathers intelligence to prepare against emerging threats.

Corero SecureWatch Analytics, part of the SmartWall Threat Defense System, does exactly that, by capturing and indexing data on all the traffic the system sees when under attack, and during peacetime, to enable detailed analysis of any security incidents. It continuously records traffic for subsequent analysis of network flows and trends, providing detailed visibility into detected threats and patterns over time. That kind of visibility, historical reporting and analysis takes your DDoS resiliency plan beyond just attack mitigation.

4. Flexible deployment

When it comes to DDoS solutions, not all are flexible. Fortunately, Corero technology can be deployed in-line at the network edge or in tandem with a 3rd party monitoring, detection or route management solution.

The Bottom Line

Legacy approaches to DDoS mitigation are less effective than today’s solutions, because they rely heavily on manual observation and action, which result in delayed mitigation (and therefore, latency in network performance). An effective DDoS mitigation solution automatically stops attacks in their tracks, and shows you the attack attempts. You or your downstream customers are never impacted, but you can see the evidence of the attack attempts.

Corero is the leader in real-time DDoS defense, if you need expert advice, contact us.